Cattle are visible in onboard pens as the livestock transport ship Al Kuwait loads cattle destined for China at the Port of Napier on November 19, 2021 in Napier, New Zealand. The load of livestock represents the largest export through the port to date with up to 14,000 head of cattle to be loaded. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)
New Zealand's last exports of livestock by sea have been completed and live exports have ceased, its agriculture minister said on Friday, as it fully implemented a ban on export shipments of animals on the grounds of their welfare.
The government announced in 2021 that shipping animals offshore, largely for building herds in trading partners like China, would be halted but farmers would be given two years to transition out of the profitable export business.